Maine International Film Festival

MAINE INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL 24

July 9-18, 2021

Tickets, Passes + Schedule

“Pound for pound… the best-curated film event in New England”

— Boston Globe

“An oasis of programming perfection in Northern New England”

— MovieMaker

Thank you to our Day Sponsor, Landry/French Construction.

Don't miss it! This afternoon is the World Premiere of the Maine-based feature THE BRIDE IN THE BOX, recently covered in the Morning Sentinel.

Thank you to our Day Sponsor, MaineGeneral Health.

Tonight at Railroad Square Cinema, you can watch our Transitions Shorts, all about life in the in-between, and while you're in town, check out The Kneeling Art Photography Project's exhibit at 18 Main St, recently featured by Maine Public.

Thank you to our Day Sponsor, Colby Center for the Arts and Humanities.

There is only one showing of ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN, and it's tonight at the Waterville Opera House, so don't miss it!

“The theater was filled with people, and there was a palpable feeling of excitement even before the show started. Guests lined the stairwell. [Executive Director Mike] Perreault spoke before the showing, and said he was excited to welcome everyone to the festival, and to be able to show movies in person — ‘how they should be seen.’" - Kaitlyn Budion of the Morning Sentinel

Thank you to our Day Sponsor, Kennebec Valley Explorer.

Check out today's Community Art Activism Workshop for strategies and ideas on using art for social change, then drop by the Waterville Opera House tonight for the world premiere of FIGHTING INDIANS, recently in the Portland Press Herald and Morning Sentinel.

Thank you to our Day Sponsor, City of Waterville, Maine.

It's Opening Night!! Join us at the Waterville Opera House for NINE DAYS, an imaginative story about who is most suitable for the miraculous journey into life, and then follow us afterward to Railroad Square Cinema for the Kneeling Art Photography Project and LumenARRT!

CHANGE OF VENUE: Please note that the special kick-off event with @lumenarrt and @thekneelingartphotography has been moved to Railroad Square Cinema, due to rain. The Opening Night film, NINE DAYS, will remain at the Waterville Opera House. 🌧

Come together at Railroad Square Cinema after the Festival’s Opening Night screening of NINE DAYS (at the Waterville Opera House) for a special kick-off event with LumenARRT! and the Kneeling Art Photography Project. Live music by @streamreggae and dance performance by @rijahnewell, impactful projections and community solidarity.

WORLD PREMIERE - In the early 1960s, Natalie arrives in Tierra del Fuego from the United States to start a family. There, she dedicates her life to exploring the islands, looking for plants for an herbarium, and finding the bones of whales and dolphins for a museum, creating an endless collection. THE LONELINESS OF THE BONES is the life of a woman who had the audacity to venture into a place with no room for the weak.

Sponsored by Kathryn Slott.

Wed, Jul 14th, 7:00 PM @ Waterville Opera House
Fri, Jul 16th, 3:30 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #2

From SOLARIS to STALKER, the ‘70s were when the great Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky directed one dazzling, original, distinctive, influential masterpiece after another. THE MIRROR falls between the two, and is equally stunning, though still a bit less known— which is just one reason why this gorgeous restoration is beyond wondrous.

Sun, Jul 11th, 7:00 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #1
Thu, Jul 15th, 3:30 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #2

“'We’re really proud that we have a great focus on Maine,” said Mike Perreault, executive director of the Waterville-based Maine Film Center, which brings contemporary, independent and classic films to central Maine through Railroad Square Cinema and MIFF. 'We’re just stunned by the quality of the filmmaking that’s been happening in the state in the past couple of years. We are really just honored to be able to showcase so many of them at the festival.'”

Thank you Taylor Abbott and @michaelgseamans for the great coverage at the Morning Sentinel! 📰

🎟 Tickets and passes available at MIFF.org.

We have so many Maine Shorts, we had to split it into two programs! With documentaries, narrative films, and animated films, these curated programs reflect the best of homegrown Maine creativity.

Maine Shorts I showing July 10, 13, & 17: https://bit.ly/3dMFNdF
Maine Shorts II showing July 11, 13, & 17: https://bit.ly/36gUqBO

NUEVE SEVILLAS (NINE SEVILLES) is an immersion in a unique culture in a unique city—the music, dance, and gitano culture of Seville, Spain, today. Closely following nine people, including director Gonzalez Garcia Pelayo, NUEVE SEVILLAS is rare mix of radicalism in form and rootedness to the city.

Sponsored by Karen Kusiak.

Mon, Jul 12th, 7:00 PM @ Waterville Opera House
Wed, Jul 14th, 3:00 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #1

With unique access to a sitting member of Congress, TRUTH TO POWER: BARBARA LEE SPEAKS FOR ME tells the complex story of California Representative Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights, peace, and economic and racial justice in Congress. She cut her teeth as a volunteer for the Black Panther Party, and was the lone vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in opposition to the broad authorization of military force following the September 11th attacks.

Sponsored by Peter and Lee Lyford.

Mon, Jul 12th, 3:30 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #2
Wed, Jul 14th, 7:30 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #2

Lene Marie Fossen was a gifted photographer who suffered from severe anorexia. Her eating disorder was at the center of her artistic practice and the tool with which she engaged in the representation of her own illness. THE SELF PORTRAIT hauntingly reveals how she explores her struggles through her own self-transcendent photography.

Sat, Jul 10th, 3:30 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #2
Thu, Jul 15th, 7:30 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #2

Maine-set THE CATCH follows a woman who returns to her estranged family in coastal Maine and hijacks a drug shipment, putting her life and her family in danger. Blending thriller with family drama and incorporating a remarkable blend of acting talent including Katia Winter (SLEEPY HOLLOW), Bill Sage (AMERICAN PSYCHO), James McMenamin (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), Kyle Gallner (DEAR WHITE PEOPLE), Emy Colligado (MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE), and Jere Burns (JUSTIFIED), THE CATCH is unforgettable.

Sponsored by Jabar, LaLiberty & Dubord Attorneys at Law.

Mon, Jul 12th, 8:30 PM @ Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre
Tue, Jul 13th, 7:00 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #1

WORLD PREMIERE - Last year, Miguel Silveira, Missy Hernandez, and company were in Times Square, shooting footage on the night of the 2020 Presidential Election. THE LAST ELECTION is a documentary, a podcast, and a flash ethnography about the United States on that day.

Sat, Jul 17th, 7:00 PM @ Waterville Opera House
Sun, Jul 18th, 3:00 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #1

Meet the #MIFFCairn! To us, the cairn symbolizes a sense of place and way-finding. No matter how long we've been away, the cairn brings us back to Maine, to Waterville, to MIFF. Thanks to the whimsical design by @alloveritmaine , heroic construction by Laurel McLeod, and vibrant painting by @duboisdesi , our symbol exists on all planes.

Spot these cairns at all three of our venues, and join @wtvlcreates at Art in the Park to make your own cairn!

WORLD PREMIERE work-in-progress screening - FIGHTING INDIANS is the story of a small New England community forced to reckon with its identity, problematic history, and future relationship with its Indigenous neighbors. It is a story spanning many years, taking place in a divided town where the “mascot debate” exposes centuries-old abuses while still asking if reconciliation is possible.

Brought to you by support from Tree Spirits Winery & Distillery.

Sat, Jul 10th, 7:00 PM @ Waterville Opera House
Sun, Jul 11th, 8:30 PM @ Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre

WORLD PREMIERE - Made in Maine by former Mainer Doug Bost, THE BRIDE IN THE BOX is both an offbeat ghost story and an offbeat family story. The central character is Iris, the lively, imaginative young daughter of Don and Heather, who are returning to their favorite Downeast area from the city to relax and be together in a house with an old trunk at the end of the hall. “What’s in there?” Iris wonders—it’s locked and can’t be opened. Iris starts communicating with…what? And is it inside her head or inside the box?

Sponsored by Patricia Clark.

Tue, Jul 13th, 3:00 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #1
Wed, Jul 14th, 8:30 PM @ Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre
Thu, Jul 15th, 7:00 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #1

“That’s socialism!” some yell about programs that are designed to help disadvantaged members of society. “What’s wrong with that?!” asks THE BIG SCARY “S” WORD, a truly illuminating and entertaining history and exploration of the concept that was perceived as a beacon of hope and progress in the early decades of the U.S. 20th Century, but has since been turned into a political dirty word.

Sponsored by Bill Jefferson.

Tue, Jul 13th, 3:30 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #2
Fri, Jul 16th, 7:30 PM @ Railroad Square Cinema #2

Presenting Sponsors

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Lead Exhibition Sponsor

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Showrunner Sponsor

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Official Vehicle of MIFF

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Venue Sponsors

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Day Sponsors

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Supporting Sponsors

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Media Sponsors

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Hospitality Sponsors

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Funded in part by a grant from

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